UPDATE: Blue Lakes big rig crash kills one, sends two to hospital

BLUE LAKES -- A pair of big rigs collided on Highway 20 northwest of Upper Lake early Wednesday morning, killing one driver, injuring two other people and sending one semi-truck into Blue Lakes.

The decedent was reportedly the driver of the semi-truck that landed in the water.

A 15-year-old boy riding in water-bound big rig was trapped in the partially submerged cab after the crash, according to the CHP. It took emergency personnel about 50 minutes to safely remove the teenager, who was airlifted to University of California, Davis Medical Center with major hypothermia.

"This is one of the most intense rescues," Northshore Fire Protection District (NFPD) battalion chief Pat Brown said at the scene.

The incident started when a westbound milk truck driven by Donald Morton lost control on a curve east of The Lodge at Blue Lakes, causing its trailer to overturn and enter the eastbound lane just before 6 a.m., the CHP reported.

The driver of an eastbound semi-truck could not avoid the overturned trailer, according to the CHP. The big rig struck the milk truck, careened down a steep embankment and landed in Blue Lakes.

The driver of the eastbound big rig was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. This was Lake County's seventh fatal crash of the year.

Morton, a Cotati resident, was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center with major injuries, Brown said.

The effort to remove the teenager from the partially submerged cab included water-rescue, rope-rescue and dive teams, Brown said.

Officials had to use the Jaws of Life underwater, a rare occurrence according to the battalion chief. "I don't think I've ever read of it," he added.

The wreck sent diesel fuel into Blue Lakes, Brown said. NFPD personnel contained the spill with 800 feet of boom, but all of the department's equipment that entered the water was contaminated, he added.

Officials also spent time cleaning up spilled milk, which covered the highway and sank to the bottom of the lake.

The crash left one trucker at the scene offering advice to his peers and all drivers. "Drive slow. Read those signs; they mean something," Redding resident Jerry Lee said while looking at the wreckage Wednesday.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Lake County Environmental Health Department and Lake County Sheriff's Office also assisted during the incident.

Highway 20 remains closed in both directions. Officials estimated the highway could open by 2 p.m.

Note: A previous version of the story misspelled Morton's name. Lake County Publishing regrets the error.

(Photo by Nathan DeHart, who also contributed to the reporting of this story.)